As I Want You To Be
by Mad Dog
Summary: Draco and Ginny sittin' in a tree...alright, so i'm not quite there yet...stick with me though and i'll get there ;P
1. Star Crossed

They stared into each other's eyes, waiting, hoping. She had to look up, way up to meet his, while he had only to incline his head to match her gaze.  
  
"My hands are cold." She extended the extremities in question.  
  
"What do you think this is that stupid Muggle movie we saw in Muggle Studies—what was it, erm…West Side Story? I can't believe that old Bumbling- Bore made Muggle Studies required. What is this school coming to…insufferable old coot." This last was said under the breath of one Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Speaking of insufferable…"Hermione raised her eyebrows pointedly. "Jesus, Malfoy did you pay no attention at all in Magical Medicine? Cold hands are a sign of shock!" Her life had been a living…alright so it wasn't hell...but it sure wasn't heaven either!!! Hmph! She and Malfoy were victims of McGonagall's latest brainchild MEANY (Mutually Edifying Association of iNterhouse Youths). They had been forced to draw partners at random from the names of the students outside their own houses. All of these pairs were then informed, much to their chagrin, that they would be study partners for the remainder of the year. Any twosome ignoring this edict would lose their respective houses 50 points. Hermione (in a stunning display of mediocre luck) had drawn Draco's name. He had been her TORTURE (Temporary Operative RapporT Unifying Rapprochement Edifier) ever since.  
  
"Look Malfoy, believe it or not you and I both need this study time. Since we have, unfortunately, been forbidden to study with anyone else, we may as well make this time useful together." She placed added emphasis on the last word.  
  
"Granger, don't patronize me. Your incessant droning is horrible enough." He turned his back to her and gazed out the window. He groaned. The empty classroom they were using to study had a perfect view of the Quidditch fields. Hermione threw her hands in the air.  
  
"The exam is tomorrow! If you aren't going to study with me, be prepared to fail." With that Hermione plopped down on the floor and tore open Magical Wound and Symptoms, glaring at the silvery-blond head stuck out the window all the while.  
  
"Oh sod off, will you?" Disinterested didn't even begin to describe him. He would rather be anywhere and with anyone else. Ah…he caught sight of an intriguing flash of red hair on a broomstick. That youngest Weasley was shaping into a beauty. Granted, she was an awful pest on the Quidditch fields, had been ever since she had been made a Chaser for the Gryffindor house team—but still, she was lovely. If her brother wasn't such a bloody git…  
  
Draco sighed and withdrew his head. But he was a bloody git. An annoyingly bloody git. Thank the Gods there were plenty of non-Weasley related girls at Hogwarts. 


	2. A Known Enemy

Ginny wiped her brow. This practice seemed never to end.  
  
Usually the youngest Weasley was perfectly content to whiz away the hours on the Quidditch pitch. The freedom of flight was exhilarating to her and her skills helped her bring herself out of her brother's illustrious shadows. She prided herself on being Virginia in her own right, not just Ron's baby sister Ginny but as a valuable person in herself. Her Quidditch prowess was her favorite aspect of that. Today however, the team seemed unusually dispirited. Concentration was lacking among players in all years and Ginny thought perhaps she knew the cause-MEANY. McGonagall's well-intended if ill-advised program was making everyone at Hogwarts (save Dumbledore and its blissfully, perhaps even willfully ignorant creator) absolutely miserable. Too miserable, it seemed to apply themselves to their former favorite hobbies with any energy whatsoever. Even Professor Snape was off his game, managing to average only one bitterly pithy comment per class. "Guys, I think we've accomplished all we will for today-let's head in." Clearly Alicia, the team captain was of seeing precisely what Ginny was; a group of weary, defeated heads.  
  
After showering and dressing in the locker room, Ginny made her way to the library. She and Hermione had become extraordinarily close in recent years and they spent many a waking hour together. They often studied with each other, making the hours fly by but still accomplishing much. Ginny searched the stacks for the sight of Herm's brown hair but, for once, did not find it. Then it hit her-Hermione had to study with her TORTURE from here on out. She had known it, of course, but the full ramifications were just hitting her. That meant.Hermione was with Malfoy! 


End file.
